Device for aligning cards in a stapler



May 10, 1966 E. EISSFELDT ET AL 3,250,529

DEVICE FOR ALIGNING CARDS IN A STAPLER Filed Feb. 19, 1963 INVENTORSfem/4 5755:5407

ion/4e 5A5/SCA/ sYdulfl-r l ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3 1 Claim.61. 271-89) The invention disclosed herein is concerned with a devicefor placing cards in aligned position in a card stapler, comprisingeccentrically rotating members serving as the vibrating means.

There are devices known for aligning cards of uniform dimensions in astaple, wherein a sidewall of the staple compartment is arranged forpivotal or swinging motion about a given axis. Such a device naturallyaligns the cards only with respectto one side or edge thereof, without,however, uniformly affecting all cards, since the cards which are nearto the axis are impacted with less force than those which are fartherfrom the axis.

The object of the invention is to provide a card stapler which overcomesthis drawback.

Accordingly, the invention is concerned with a device for aligningcards, having uniform dimensions, in one direction thereof, in a staple,comprising one or more eccentrically rotating posts forming respectivelylimits for a side of the staple, wall means being disposed opposite therespective posts, said wall means forming respectively aligning surfacesand defining the limits for the corresponding sides of the staple. Uponusing only one eccentrically rotating post at a side of the staple, thedirectional force which is to be applied in a direction extendingparallel to such side, is effected by causing the post to exert asliding motion at the respective staple side, so that the cards are notonly pushed in place but can also be shifted in parallel direction.Customary punched cards, for which the invention is primarily intended,have one corner cut off along an angular line, thus forming in the cardstaple a fifth side plane. Upon disposing an eccentrically rotating postat such fifth side plane, and providing aligning surfaces oppositelythereto, the cards will be aligned along mutually perpendicularlyoriented sides.

According to another feature of the invention, there are provided, forthe handling of substantially rectangular card with uniform dimensions,two eccentrically rotating posts forming lateral limits for the staplealong two sides thereof which extend at right angle to one another. Thecorresponding arrangement is particularly well adapted for the staple ofa card dispensing or card discharging device.

According to a further feature of the invention, the eccentricallyrotating posts are respectively provided with cone-shaped taperingextensions. The superficies lines of the conical parts of theseextensions form as it were a funnel for guiding dropping cards intoplace on the staple.

According to still another feature of the invention, the eccentricallyrotating posts are resiliently journalled, thereby reducing requirementsas to the accuracy of the cards and as to the arrangement of the postsand at the same time increasing the frictional force parallel to theedges of the cards.

Further details of the invention will appear from the description whichis rendered below with reference to the accompanying drawing.

3,250,529 Patented May 10, 1965 The drawing shows a card staplercombined with a card separator.

Numeral 1 indicates cards, numeral 2 the staple, numeral 3 theeccentrically rotating posts, numeral 4 the side walls of thecompartment containing the staple, and numeral 5 a pair of rollersforming parts of the card separator. The eccentrically rotating posts 3are provided with'coneshaped tapering extensions 3a, such extensionsacting in a sense to form a funnel for guiding cards dropped onto thestaple. Each card dropped onto the staple is by the rotating eccentricposts 3 pushed laterally inwardly in the direction of the arrows 6 and7- The cards are thereby aligned at the side walls 4 to form the staple2.

The journals or bearings 9 of the eccentric posts 3 are constructedresiliently, so that no gap can form as a tolerance space between thecircumference of the posts and the staple 2.

The rotation of the eccentric posts 3 in the direction of the arrows 13and 14 produces strong friction with respect to the card staple 2,resulting in forces acting on the card staple, which are oriented in thedirections indicated by the arrows 11 and 12, such forces facilitatingthe alignment of the cards 1. It is accordingly possible to provide anarrangement operating with only one of the eccentric posts 3. This is ofadvantage, particularly in case of processing cards which are in onedirection of different length. 7

Changes maybe made within the scope and spirit of the appended claimswhich define what is believed to be new and desired to have protected byLetters Patent.

Weclaim:

A device for aligning cards of uniform dimensions comprising an upwardlyopen compartment having a side wall and an end Wall for receiving cardsinserted therein from above, to form a staple in said compartment, afirst eccentrically rotating post disposed oppositely to said end walland spaced therefrom substantially by the length of said cards, and asecond eccentrically rotating post disposedoppositely to said side walland spaced therefrom sub stantially by the width of said cards, saidposts being disposed for rotation about respective axes extendingtransverse to the cards forming the staple, means for resilientlyjournaling said posts for biasing the same in a direction towardadjacent card edges whereby said posts exert pressure against theadjoining edges of the staple to be formed, the upper end of each postbeing provided with conically tapering extension forming funnel-likeguide means for guiding cards, inserted from the top thereof, into thedevice, said first mentioned post having a direction of rotation suchthat the peripheral portion thereof exerting pressure on the card edgesurges the cards toward said side wall, and that of the second mentionedpost such that it urges the cards toward said end wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,190,974 7/ 1916Arey.

1,448,301 3/1923 Hotchkiss 27189 2,460,876 2/1949 Dager 27189 2,893,7317/1959 Nordquist 271-49 3,083,014 3/1963 Howdle et al 27189 M. HENSONWOOD, JR., Primary Examiner. RAPHAEL M. LUPO, ROBERT B. REEVES,Examiners. R. YOST, W. F. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiners.

